


Dookie

by SilverFountains



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Hippie Thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 19:12:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2479358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverFountains/pseuds/SilverFountains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt : family reunion. Did not really follow this prompt very well sorry, but it what came into my head. </p><p>Testing the water with this as an opening chapter for a new fic (not any time soon as I am busy with other works at the mo, but something I may pursue if people like the concept!)</p><p>Feedback always welcome!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dookie

His uncle was an odd ball, the black sheep of the family. Everyone knew it. When his mum and uncle Frerin had followed the expected norm of a steady job, a family, a nice comfortable home in an up and coming neighbourhood, not so uncle Thorin. He was an adventurer. Uncle Frerin used to call him a “crazy old hippy.” He lived here and there, was an artist and a photographer with the only income that from his art which he sold on markets and to galleries. His hair was long, with thick braids down the sides and his clothes were colourful or as his mum would call it “unusual”. And Kili thought he was the most amazing person ever!

The last time he had seen his uncle was when he had just returned from a trip to North Africa and Kili had stared in awe at the pictures of colourful markets, exotic looking people and food he had never seen before. They had sat in his uncle’s old VW bus - a rickety old vehicle that broke down as often as it drove and that Kili and Fili had painted in all colours of the rainbow when they were seven years old. It always smelled of a combination of fried sausages, incense and weed; a smell that hang around Thorin like a trademark.

For years Kili had said he wanted to travel the world just like uncle Thorin. But now that he was eighteen he knew that the dream had changed into _I want to travel the world_ with _uncle Thorin._ And he tries to broach the subject casually as he steals some chopped carrot from the chopping board.

“Absolutely not,” Dis answers before he has barely closed his mouth, not even looking at him, as she rinses a plate under the tap. “You are going to college and then you are going to get a decent job. I will not have you living in squalor not knowing where your next meal is going to come from.”

“It has never done Thorin any harm!” Kili argues back.

His mother picks up a cup and dunks it in the sink, scrubbing it as if her life depends on it. She snorts. “Your uncle is old enough to make his own decisions. But that does not mean I approve of them. And I definitely do not approve of you going round the world with him.”

Kili feels his temper flare and he crosses his arms defiantly. “And why not? Other kids are going back packing in New Zealand and Australia after their exams. Why the hell is that okay and this isn’t?!”

Dis takes a towel and begins to dry the plates as she turns towards her youngest son. “Because it just isn’t,” she says, trying not to get dragged into another argument over the same old thing with the teenager. “You are eighteen years old. You can go backpacking with an organised group and others your own age and then come back in three, four months and get a job. That is the end of the conversation, Kili.”

“Fine!” Kili snaps. “Piss off then!” He grabs his coat and storms towards the front door, slamming it so hard behind him that the window shudders in its frame.

Moments later, as he storms down the road, he can hear the door open again and his mother shout after him. “Don’t you dare slam the door! And come back here!”

“No!” he shouts back, not even looking back. “Go away!”

Dis sighs as she leans against the doorpost. She had never had such problems with Fili. Why does Kili always have to argue with her?             It’s at moments like these that she wishes the Kili’s father was still around; not because he was such a good role model, after all he had abandoned her and her two sons for another woman, but just to have an older man in Kili’s life who perhaps knew better what was going on in the lad’s head.

***

“Kili!” Thorin looks up in surprise as his nephew comes storming across the field that he rents of a farmer. He grins when he sees the thunder on the lad’s face. “Who has upset you this time? Fili? My sister?”

“Mum of course,” Kili sighs as he slumps down onto the grass next to his uncle, who is shaving away at a piece of wood. “What’s that?” he asks curiously.

“I don’t know yet,” Thorin smiles as he holds up the piece and turns it in his hand. “I just thought it looked interesting.” He watches Kili nod as the teenager pulls up his knees and downs his tools. “So what has got you into trouble with my sister today?” he grins, knowing that Kili and his sister are often at odds about pretty much everything.

“You,” Kili says as he picks up a stone.

“Me?”

“I said I wanted to go travelling with you after my exams. But mum told me no. She did not even listen to me!” he says angrily. “Just said no, how bloody unfair is that?!”

Thorin gets to his feet. “Cup of tea?” he asks and does not wait for an answer as he walks to his little mobile home.  As he waits for the kettle to boil he hears Kili enter the little van. “So did you not think to ask me first? About these travelling plans of yours?”

Kili feels his cheeks burn. “I ehm …” He had not actually. He had just assumed Thorin would be over the moon with the suggestion. Had he misjudged him?

But Thorin smiles and hands him a cup of tea. “Don’t get me wrong, I think it is lovely you want to go travelling with me,” he says as he sits himself down on the sofa which is covered in a mix and match of throws and pillows. He looks around the little van. “But there is not a lot of space.”

“I can bring a tent,” Kili says hopefully. “Please uncle, I really want to go travelling with you and see all those places you have told me about.” He looks into his uncle’s blue eyes and says softly, “Would you talk to mum?”

Thorin cocks his head at Kili. “What about money?  I don’t make a lot … ”

“I have savings. And I will work where I can,” Kili promises. “Anything. I can cook for us too. I am not afraid to work hard. Anything, uncle. Please?”

Thorin chuckles as Kili pulls his most innocent face, fluttering his long eyelashes at him. He has always had a soft spot for his youngest nephew, but equally he does not like to question his sister’s parenting. What does he know about bringing up kids? He can barely look after himself. And although the thought of Kili travelling with him sounds nice enough, having responsibility for the teenager also worries him.

“Please will you talk to mum?” Kili urges again.

“Alright,” Thorin sighs, although he already thinks he might come to regret that. His sister has a fiery temper on her and although they tolerate each other as siblings, they never see eye to eye on anything.

“You’re the best!” Kili beams and throws himself around his uncle’s neck.

“I make no promises!” Thorin quickly says, but Kili is already bouncing around with excitement.

***

“I cannot believe he got you to ask me!” Dis cries out as she promptly hands Thorin a bag of potatoes and a peeler and puts him to work. “I already told him no and I am telling you the same thing.”

“Why?” Thorin asks curtly as he begins to peel the spuds and throw them in the pan of water his sister has put down next to him.

“Why?” Dis repeats as she raises her eyebrow. “Thorin, look at you! You are in your late thirties, you don’t have a job, you live in that old caravan of yours.”

“Campervan,” Thorin corrects her grumpily.

“Oh whatever. Anyway, it is not proper. I want my son to have a proper job and get a proper place to live.”

“Why?”

“Stop just saying why!” Dis lets her knife come down hard on the chopping board.

“No, tell me why. Just because you want that does not mean that Kee wants that. And anyway he is only eighteen. Allowing him to travel with me for a few months is not going to ruin the rest of his life! He can still go to college and get himself  proper job and a nice house with a wife and two kids and a perfectly kept lawn …” he adds mockingly.

When he looks up Dis is staring back at him hard, but by the fact she is not responding he knows he has made some leeway.

“Come on, sis,” he tries to sugar talk her. “It will do him good. Get some life experience, see that not everyone in the world has it as good and easy as him. And I will make sure he eats well and all. You kept saying you were worried he might go off the rails after his father left. Let him do this, prove himself.”

Dis sits herself down opposite her brother. “You promise me you will take care of him? You think you can actually look after Kili?”

“Course I can,” Thorin says with far more confidence in his voice than he feels in his heart. “I promise, we’ll be just fine.”

“Where will you be going?”

“Europe.” He had thought about it and thought it was probably safest to just stay in Europe. At least then if either of them found that they did not enjoy travelling together after or, or Kili got homesick or ill, then it was not so far to go back.

“And you’ll be going in the caravan?”

“Campervan,” Thorin correct his sister again with a sigh. “Yes, we will be travelling in Dookie,” he grins at the name the boys has given his camper years ago. “It will be fine,” he adds as he can see the concerned frown on Dis’ face. “So is that a yes?” he tries carefully.

“You had best tell him to be on his best behaviour,” Dis sighs and gets up and takes the pan with the peeled potatoes from her brother to put on the hob. “You staying for dinner?”

“If I may,” Thorin smiles and he gets to his feet and wraps his arms around his little sister and gives her a peck on the cheek.

“Don’t push it,” Dis growl, but she smiles. _You are so gonna regret this, brother. You have no idea what it is like to live with a teenager 24/7!_

***

“Oh my God!!!” Kili exclaims as Thorin tells him the good news. “I can’t believe it! She actually said yes? When are we going? Where are we going?”

“Alright, calm down. You need to sit your exams first,” Thorin pries the teenager’s arms from around his neck. “You are only coming under the condition that you will pass all your exams.”

“I will,” Kili says confidently. “And then where are we going, Thorin?”

“We’ll start in Holland. Then Germany. And then we will see from there. I thought maybe we try and make our way towards Russia. What do you think?”

“Oh my god yes! That would be so awesome! You are the best!” And he holds his hand up to high five his uncle.

Thorin watches the teenager run downstairs to his mother. And he smiles as Fili appears in the doorway of his room. “He’s going with you then?” the blond asks.

“It appears so,” Thorin nods. “If he passes his exams.”

“Good,” Fili says. “At least he can shut up about it then. He has talked about nothing else for the last few months you know and he’s driving me mad.”

Thorin smiles at the older boy. “Come let’s go and have dinner,” he says and follows his nephew back down the stairs, questioning his sanity once more to have agreed to let Kili come along with him. Dis is right, what the hell does he know about teenage boys? _Come on Thorin, you were one yourself once! Times have not changed that much!_ And the smile on Kili’s face as he tells his brother and mother about all the exciting adventures they are sure to have is surely worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Ps. Dookie is the name of my own VW Camper :D


End file.
